Kevin Costner is always willing to give his all to his work.
Costner’s latest film, “Horizon: An American Saga,” is a project he has been working on off and on since 1988, ultimately costing $38 million of his own money to make.
“I felt time passing,” he said. told GQ With a new cover story. “I thought my chances of playing an effective role in that movie were closing.”
The 69-year-old began devoting much of his attention to “Horizon” because he felt time was “out of place,” causing friction with his role in the Paramount series “Yellowstone.”
Kevin Costner told GQ that the opportunity to make the Western blockbuster “Horizon” series “felt like a trip back in time.” (Fanny Latour-Lambert/GQ)
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“So I basically burned the ship down,” he told GQ. “Like Cortez, we’re fucking assholes here. I’m going to build this. And I mortgaged the property. Now, you understand?”
“I’ve always wanted to do this movie, and I did ‘Yellowstone.’ He said he was watching.
“I loved that show so much that I went and helped, and Taylor too,” he said, recalling a trip to Cannes a few years ago to pitch the show to European buyers and advertisers. Ta. [Sheridan] I had a really great idea of what this was all about. But I went there. I’ve contributed to that show in 100 different ways. ”
Costner said he was so committed to Yellowstone that he renegotiated his original three-season contract for a total of seven seasons.
Costner said he has renegotiated his original three-season contract with Yellowstone to extend it to a total of seven seasons. (Paramount Network)
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However, production delays on the series, including the coronavirus pandemic and writers and actors’ strikes, affected the schedule, and Costner felt he wouldn’t be able to make time for Horizon.
“We almost never started at the time we promised, and we almost never finished at the time we promised. And I was fine with that. I really was. I was fine with that, but for me it was “It wasn’t a trend that could continue,” he said.
When it was suggested that Season 5 of the show be split into two parts, Costner recalled, “I said, “I’m under contract to do Horizon, and I have the people and the money.” I think I had a belief that I couldn’t do mounting, but I didn’t really care what anyone believed. ”
According to Costner, he tried to work out a schedule with the producers, but “the script never came.”
“They haven’t shot yet, as far as I know,” he added. “The script never came, and at some point they told me there was no ending or anything.”
Costner cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for parting ways with “Yellowstone.” (Fanny Latour-Lambert/GQ)
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Paramount announced in a press release on Monday, the same day the GQ interview was published, that the show would begin production on the second half of its fifth and final season in Montana and resume in November.
according to Hollywood Reporter, Series creator Taylor Sheridan said there was no specified number of episodes, saying, “If they think it’s going to take 10 episodes to complete, they’ll give you 10. It’ll be as long as it needs to be.” ”
“I rarely started when I said I would do it, or didn’t finish when I said I would do it. And I was OK with that. I really was. I was OK with it, but it was a trend that could continue. It wasn’t for me. “
The first half of season 5 aired its final episode in January 2023, ending on a cliffhanger that saw members of the Dutton family, led by Costner’s John Dutton, on the verge of all-out war against each other, including fan favorite Beth. (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley).
costner told GQ He gave his character a choice and said, “‘Well, if you want to kill me, if you want to do something like that,’ I said, ‘You have a week to start. ‘I’ll do whatever you want.’
Costner told GQ that he didn’t care if his character was killed off, saying, “I said, ‘I’ll do what you want.'” (Paramount Network)
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A Paramount Network spokesperson issued a statement after Costner described the conversation to GQ.
In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, a Paramount Network spokesperson said, “Kevin has been a major contributor to the success of ‘Yellowstone,’ and we look forward to working with him in the future.” Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a window that would work.” We respect Kevin for prioritizing the new film series and wish him the best. ”
Costner told GQ, “Once someone picked up on the idea that I only wanted to work a week, I felt problematic about how I was being portrayed in the press. I wanted to work a week.”
“What I find so disappointing is that I never once heard Paramount or 101 defend me and say, ‘That’s not true. He was going to do three more seasons.’ he said.
“My big disappointment is that I never once heard Paramount or 101 defend me and say, ‘That’s not true. He was going to do three more seasons,'” Costner said. He spoke about the public’s reaction to his struggles in “Yellowstone.” (Paramount Network)
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When asked if he would ever return to “Yellowstone,” he said, “Well, Taylor and I know what the conditions are for coming back, so we’ll keep it a secret between the two of us.” “Yes,” he replied.
He added: “If we can’t achieve it, it’s because at the end of the day it’s unreasonable for them or something.”
“‘So, if you want to kill me, if you want to do something like that,’ I said, ‘I have a week to start. I’ll do whatever you want.’
Costner also said Associated Press In a recent interview, he said, “‘Yellowstone’ was really important in my life. I really loved that world and what we were able to do in five seasons. I thought there would only be one, but we ended up doing five.” I was planning on doing three.” More – five, six, seven – but it didn’t happen, certain things were happening and it didn’t happen, so the idea of going back, I’m building on that idea. Everything that the first three or four are based on is the screenplay. ”
The Oscar-winning director’s passion for Westerns is the driving force behind his relationship with “Yellowstone” and his gamble with his own money.
Costner spent $38 million of his own money on the blockbuster film “Horizon.” (Warner Bros.)
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“You can spend your life just trying to make your mountain bigger and bigger. And I’m not that good at it either. I’m like everyone else. I want to get bigger, but I don’t want to sacrifice anything. “I want to avoid doing what I want to do.” [I’d] I love doing it,” Costner told The Associated Press.
“Even if no one helps me, I believe strongly in the entertainment value, but I also have business in mind, but I don’t want that to overshadow the entertainment value and the essence of what I’m trying to portray. I won’t do that. I don’t want to let that fear control my instincts on any level. If you’re watching a movie about me and you think, ‘Oh, I’m not going to risk my money to make this movie.’ It’s like, ‘Oh my God.’ [expletive]. ”
Filming for Horizon coincided with the star grappling with “a lot of really serious issues,” he told GQ.
Costner’s parents died in 2021, and his wife of 18 years, Kristin Baumgartner, filed for divorce in 2023, all due to the controversy surrounding “Yellowstone” and the filming of the epic two-part film. It happened in the middle of this.
Christine Baumgartner has filed for divorce from Kevin Costner after 18 years of marriage. (Getty Images)
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“And those are very important things. I have to deal with them. And I have to deal with them emotionally, historically, almost every day. And I have to deal with them emotionally and historically, and I have to deal with them almost every day. There are also needs. I’m not going to enumerate them, I’m going to stop there with them, it’s my job to look at it and address it,” he told the outlet.
He went on to mention that he felt like Captain Ahab in “Moby Dick,” saying, “I’ve taken great things from life, and life has taken great things from me, right? I’m going to lose myself. No, because I am. I’m hurt, but I’m not going to lose myself, and we’re chasing beluga whales now, so I can’t let go of this rope. No matter how depressed my heart is, no matter how broken my heart is every day, I can’t let go of this rope. Because if you do that, this thing called “horizon” will stop. ”
“And while Horizon is not more important than anything else in my life, I want to thank the people who have invested in me, the people who believe in me, and the people who want to work on all four of these things. “I have a certain responsibility to those who are willing to put off other work by hinting that I might work,” he added. “So no matter how much water gets in your face, you can’t let go of the rope.”
Director Costner confirmed that this is the first time that the first film will be released in June and the second film will be released in August.
Costner admitted that he was going through “very difficult things, very serious things” while making Horizon. (Warner Bros.)
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But I’m a bit of an unconventional person. I like all four songs. I have already written it. I’m not making this up on the spot. So for me, it’s not over until it’s over. So I did both songs. ”
And he has no qualms about completing Part 3 and Part 4.
“We shot it for three days and we still have to ask for money to finish it. We have to figure out what else we can do to get it made,” he told The Associated Press.
“But I’m not waiting to see how people feel. I know what it is, and if people like the movie experience, chances are they’ll want to see the next movie. I think it’s very expensive. That’s all I can believe. The smart thing to do is wait, but I don’t think I’m built for that.”
At the Cannes Film Festival, audiences gave the western a 10-minute standing ovation, moving the usually calm Costner to tears.
Costner received a 10-minute standing ovation after the Horizon premiere in Cannes. (Mark Piasecki/FilmMagic)
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“It’s an interesting business. I’m really glad I found it. There’s no other place like it. I’ll never forget this and neither will my children,” he said.
His five children, Hayes, Grace, Annie, Kayden, and Lily, also attended the premiere with him.
Costner’s children Caden Wyatt Costner, Lily Costner, Grace Avery Costner, Hayes Costner, and Annie Costner attended the Cannes premiere of Horizon with Costner. (Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images)
Costner has children Annie and Lily, as well as son Joe with ex-wife Cindy Silva. He has children Kayden, Hayes and Grace with ex-wife Baumgartner, and son Liam with ex Bridget Rooney.
“Thank God for Cannes. I’m essentially an independent filmmaker and I’m here on my own,” Costner told The Associated Press ahead of the film’s premiere at the festival. . “So this is a great moment for me because it’s helping to raise the profile of the film. I don’t have all the money in the world to release this film, but here I am. have their own time and platform.”
